Mansoor Ahmad

LAHORE: Education, health, and research and development (R&D) are three sectors that play a significant role in driving sustainable growth.

LAHORE: Excluding women from Pakistan’s economic mainstream is perpetuating poverty, as it becomes increasingly difficult for traditional sole male earners to sustain the same quality of life...

LAHORE: Chronic hunger is a more severe form of food insecurity, reflecting a state where people consistently lack enough food to meet basic nutritional needs over an extended period.

LAHORE: Achieving sustainable economic growth is challenging when the private sector resists essential reforms, as investment flows tend to favour stable, transparent environments governed by fair...

LAHORE: The ability of our economy to compete globally depends on a sustained supply of talented and qualified workers. The imbalances occur when either the availability of such workers is...

LAHORE: Despite efforts from both the government and the private sector, Pakistan continues to have the highest rate of financial exclusion in the region, limiting the ability of the majority of its...

E-waste toner (EWT), which is produced in large quantities by modern industries, has the potential to be utilized as a bitumen modifier to improve engineering properties and save costs. The current study focuses on exploring the optimization of EWT content to identify the most optimal proportions for achieving desirable levels of mechanical properties. This study also examined the effects of E-waste toner contents ranging from 0% to 30% on the fresh consistency of toner-modified and unmodified binder. The study utilized a central composite design (CCD) together with the response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the mix design variables, specifically the binder-toner ratio (BT) and mixing efficiency ratio (MER). The objective of this study was to examine the combined effects of these variables on the mechanical characteristics of EWT-modified asphalt mixtures. The mechanical responses were obtained through the performance of four responses such as Marshall stability (MS), Marshall flow (MF), indirect tensile strength (ITS), and stiffness tests. The findings suggest that the combined interaction of BT and MER ratios has an impact on their mechanical characteristics. However, the BT ratios had a significant impact on the volumetric attributes compared to MER. The RSM-based prediction models had an R-square over 0.86 across each response. This demonstrates that the inclusion of BT and MER ratios were accountable for a minimum of 86% of the alterations in the mechanical characteristics of EWT-modified asphalt. The multi-objective optimization analysis determined that the optimal proportions for the EWT-modified asphalt, in order to obtain the ideal consistency, were 0.249 ratio of BT and 1.63 ratio of MER with a desirability value of 0.97. Overall, it was found that RSM is a reliable technique for precisely forecasting the mechanical properties of EWT-modified asphalt, including BT and MER ratios.

LAHORE: Rural women in Pakistan play a crucial role in agriculture, yet they face significant barriers that impact their productivity and economic contributions.

LAHORE: Some state planners speculate that the IMF might take a lenient view on Pakistan's revenue shortfall, as the country's debt servicing savings are double the shortfall in tax revenue.

LAHORE: Aging populations in developed countries are disrupting the global economy, with a shrinking, unqualified workforce stalling growth. While most nations with a youth bulge -- except Pakistan...